


Colorblind | Xiao Dejun

by Sthenomilke



Category: EXO, EXO-L, NCT (Band), Nctzen, WAYV, WeiZenNi, Weishennie
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Coffee Shops, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Funny, Realism, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:42:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23236417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sthenomilke/pseuds/Sthenomilke
Summary: I wanna love you, but I don’t know how.Have you ever seen someone many times when you frequent your favorite places? They are always there, but you don’t know them, you just see them a lot. Seeing them gives you a sense of comfort and familiarity, even if you’re complete strangers. You view that person as being part of that place... that environment that is created by comforting routines. What happens when you stop seeing them? You will probably worry subconsciously; humans long for routine, even if we don’t admit it, and that person is part of it. You’re complete strangers, but you miss each other when the other is gone, just for a split second... and that’s all it takes... you acting upon it or not will determine if your paths are bound to cross in a more profound way.
Relationships: Ten/Hendery
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Glass clanking, the sound of an industrial coffee machine, and soft murmurs permeated through the familiar café only to be interrupted by the blasting of Beethoven’s Sonata Pathétique and my deafening yet disorganized thoughts. I had been here for almost two hours, if my perception of time didn’t fail me, and I was still stuck in trying to find the ONE flaw in a piece my mentor had assigned to me. I loved music, but it certainly gave me a great deal of unnecessary headaches. 

I needed to find the error, but no matter how hard I looked, I just couldn’t see it. 

I was so focused on my work that I didn’t notice when my best friend sat in front of me. At one point, I sighed and took my eyes off the piece only to be utterly startled by my friend’s familiar face. She chuckled at my jump and I turned Beethoven off and connected with the environment once again. Her high pitched, yet mellow voice greeted me:

“Hello, De,” she fixed her clear glasses while looking directly into my eyes. We didn’t need to speak much to communicate; she could read me like a book. “Is it Kun again?” 

I nodded and cleared my throat before I spoke, “I have such a headache, Ro... it’s so complicated. He told me to find an error in this piece and I just can’t...” 

Her head tilted slightly, making some of her long dark blonde wavy hair touch her pale face. “Hmm, why don’t you just google it?” 

I ran my hand through my straight white hair in frustration. “I’ll never learn like that...”

“True, but you’re practically dying here. Have you tried looking at it in another way?”

“What do you mean?” 

“Maybe try reading the last page first... I see that you’re in the third page of...” I started counting the sheets, but she beat me to it. “Eight. Start by the eighth. I’m going to buy my coffee and expect you to have found the error by the time I return. I bet it’s very simple and Kun just wanted to tease you, once again,” she smiled and got up. “Look at it carefully... you are bound to find the inconsistency if you focus on what you have learned.” And with that, she walked off towards the empty coffee shop line. 

It was Friday and business was slow. I had an afternoon philosophy class and, later, my weekly music mentoring session with Kun. Ro had just gotten out of her mandarin lesson. She spent every day with me at the café and left to her dorm to study afterward; we’d had this tradition for almost two years now. Our semester had only begun a fortnight ago, but we were already stressed and regretting our life decisions. 

After a few seconds of contemplation, I continued my work. I read the eighth page twice and saw nothing wrong with it, same with the seventh, but when I got to the sixth page I found a very minimal error that most people wouldn’t even notice... one of the rests was off by exactly one second. I played the notes in my mind and remembered when my mentor demonstrated the piece initially... one of the rests in the fourth pentagram of the sixth page was just a tiny bit shorter. I fixed it and looked for the piece online. I listened to it while reading the music and I was, indeed, right. 

It was silly to memorize a piece if you could sight read, but I was playing this one in a small concert that I had in a month. My major was music with an emphasis in vocal technique and guitar. I was having a duet with my mentor, who plays the piano and is a master’s student. The funny thing about my assignment is that the error lied in his part, not mine... but it is fundamental to know every part and listen to your partners in music. I smirked because this reminded me of what my mentor always says about the importance of listening; a lesson well learned, for sure. 

I triumphantly closed my notebook and looked up to see someone sitting two tables from me. She seemed to be absorbed into the book she was reading while she subconsciously and softly bopped her head to the music that was probably blasting through her earphones. She broke her concentration to scribble down some notes on her notepad, but then resumed. Her straight rose gold hair kept getting in the way of her reading because she profusely tucked it behind her left ear various times. It fascinated me how utterly focused and fast she was. In the seconds I laid my eyes on her, she had gotten through two pages and managed to write down some things. The sound of a cup being set on our table broke me from my random trance. 

“You know,” Ro said while sitting down across from me. “It’s not nice to stare at strangers, you freak.” 

I chucked. “It’s true. I was just bored and observing.” 

“You could’ve not been so obvious about it.”

“Indeed. It won’t happen again. You took long...?” Ro sipped a bit of her americano, though it was too hot. She was avoiding me. I raised a thick eyebrow and nodded for her to continue. 

“Yukhei,” she responded. 

“Who?”

“Lucas,” she had used his Cantonese name, of which I had no knowledge about. I only knew him by his name in english. He was one of the workers at the uni’s café. She sighed. 

“Was he bothering you?”

“Nah, just trying to make pointless chatter,” Ro replied while taking out her things from her backpack. She used to be a math tutor and helped Lucas with that subject last year. 

“He likes you more than I thought,” I commented with a grin. 

“I see you finished your assignment,” she commented dryly while skimming through her notes. “I told you.” 

“You did, indeed, my genius best friend!”

After a few minutes of silence and me just contemplating my inner world, Ro spoke up without even lifting her gaze from her reading. “I take a class with her.” 

“Huh?” I replied absentmindedly, still hazy from my overwhelming thoughts. 

“Rose gold hair girl,” Ro answered calmly, but I was still in a trance. “The girl you were staring at earlier who is sitting exactly two tables behind me. Pale and flawless skin, earphones on, and a very intimidating-looking blue textbook right in front of her while she furiously scribbles on her yellow notepad... that girl.” 

My best friend’s attention to detail never ceased to amaze me, but it was good to have when you often space out as much as I do. 

“Ah, nice,” I replied with a smile. 

“Very excited,” she remarked sarcastically. “Psychology.” 

“Oh, I see,” I was a bit wary of her now, since she was observing me very closely. 

“Did you sleep last night?” Ro asked suddenly. 

“Yes, but not too much...” 

“Okay, then that’s it. Tonight, you are resting... please.” 

“I promise!” I was exhausted, now that I thought about it. 

“Dejun?” Ro said sweetly. 

“Yes?” I tilted my head. 

“You’re gonna be late for class, you dumbass.” Oh shit. 

And then, I ran for my life. What I failed to notice, however, was that rose gold hair girl had indeed seen me running away from the café like a freak in a horror movie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .

A fortnight later. 

Routine had finally begun to settle like the foam on a roaring sea. It was Tuesday and the coffee shop was busy with life. The high pitched sound of the industrial coffee machine permeated through even my loud music. Once again, I was doing a musical exercise that my mentor had given me; I was quite happy because I did it early to have time for my other classes. 

After I finished my work, I changed my music to something more refreshing and proceeded to look around. As usual, the surroundings appeared the same, just a bit more crowded. My eyes were naturally fixed on a familiar figure who found herself scribbling mercilessly on her notebook. Not much had changed, save for her clothes and textbook, and that her hair looked a bit more faded than the first time I saw it two weeks ago. 

My trance was broken by her suddenly tilting her head up and mercilessly locking eyes with me. Her gaze was intense and unique... I was honestly appalled by its sharpness. Everything around me dimmed out; I couldn’t even make sense of the music I was listening to anymore. The only motion that I could grasp was the blinking of our eyes; time had frozen over. Neither her nor I surrendered in this sudden war of fervent observation. 

I started to become uneasy because our staring contest had become prolonged, yet it did not feel awkward... it was just two strangers having a conversation through deep gazes; just like when one looks at the nightly sky and has a one-sided dialogue with the universe. 

I had been deemed shy all my life, but I could not help the smile that blossomed unconsciously on my lips. It felt so natural and easy, yet so devoid of any particular meaning. A connection between nothingness... there was a certain comfort in such a trivial, yet aimlessly beautiful thing. Soon enough, the stranger replied with a grin that mirrored mine; it did not seem to be confused. We had come to a mutual understanding about something we could not comprehend at the time. 

All good things must come to an end. Thus, our gaze was interrupted by her looking down at her buzzing phone. She gave me an apologetic gaze and proceeded to pick up her things while she spoke to whoever called her. She tucked her pink hair behind her ear as she stuffed her textbook into her backpack. I could not really make out what she was saying, but taking out my out my earphones would not really make a difference due to the loudness in the place. The woman left without a trace, but not before stealing one more glance in my direction. 

I smiled and looked at the time in my phone: It was nearly three in the afternoon. I frowned because Ro was supposed to be out of her lesson by 2:20 pm. I had seen her this morning, but I decided to text her to see if she was coming here or not. Five minutes passed and I got no reply; instead, I saw her coming through the café door. Her long and ash blonde hair was cascading down in waves that seemed to bounce with her every step. She sat and set her things down while putting her phone on the table. A small smile painted her tinted lips and I turned my music off. 

“You look lively,” she commented while shifting to a more comfortable position. “Did it rain roses or something?”

“Not really,” I smiled and she raised an eyebrow. “Just happy that I completed my assignments early, that’s all.” 

“I didn’t know that completing an assignment could make someone glow like that... wait, I get it, though.” 

“Then, you get it,” I brushed it off. “You took long,” I commented with a sly grin. 

“I was talking with a tutor,” she answered and I encouraged her to continue. “A mandarin tutor.” 

“I thought I was your mandarin tutor,” I gasped dramatically. 

“Well, you are my mandarin helper. You aren’t getting paid like he is,” she commented logically. 

“Oh? He?” 

“He.”

“Is he cute?” 

“Does it matter?”

“Not really, but I’m still curious. Did you need anything from him?”

She rolled her eyes at my inquiry. “No, he just greeted me and said he was coming up with more helpful exercises to help out his students. Pointless chitchatting. Not many students go to the tutoring session, despite the fact that they paid for it,” she replied dismissively, but I was determined to know about this person who had now entered my best friend-nearly-sister’s life. 

“What’s his name?” 

She sighed; I think she was getting annoyed. “If you’re so curious, come with me to the tutoring session tomorrow. Anyone can enter.”

“Deal,” I said excitedly. Luckily, I was free at that time and we took class in the same building. I had my music lesson when she took mandarin and then I usually headed towards the coffee shop to wait for her short tutoring session to be over. 

“Now, can you tell me about your day, De?”

“Well, I had a pretty interesting staring contest with rose gold-haired girl,” I commented while fiddling with Ro’s phone. 

“Oh? Please, elaborate,” she two replied with a growing grin. 

“There’s not much to say, Ro! We smiled at each other, though.” 

“I see, well... I think you’ll be happy to know that rose gold-haired girl and I got paired up in a psychology project that will basically extend throughout the entire semester. Oh, and her name is Mack, by the way,” she smiled brightly. 

“I see,” I commented without much thought. 

“I could introduce her to you...”

“No, no... I’d feel too awkward.” 

“Why?”

“It’s too random.”

“Entropy is constant in the universe according to the second law of thermodynamics. Next excuse.”

“Well... just... don’t. Not yet, anyway.” 

“Suit yourself; the offer will remain up for your taking.”

“And that’s why you’re my sister,” I replied lovingly to which she just replied by rolling her eyes. 

***

“If you could stop being so fucking obvious,” Ro hissed under her breath. 

I was currently blatantly staring at Ro’s gorgeous mandarin tutor. I didn’t expect him to be this handsome. He looked like some famous actor or something. He was tall, slightly tanned, and extremely beautiful; his broad shoulders perfectly complemented his almost model-like proportions. He was slim, but looked healthy; his short black hair was styled nicely. He had a very deep and gentle voice that resonated through the quiet room like the sweetest melody I had ever sung. His most enchanting feature by far was his face which was both cute and utterly handsome at the same time; his lips were full, his nose long and almost graceful, his skin was perfect, and his almond-shaped eyes were beautifully innocent and warm. 

“Just take him after this and go, but stop being so obvious, please. I’m embarrassed,” Ro hissed once again and I smiled while slightly adverting my gaze. 

Or trying... this man was probably one of the most gorgeous I had ever seen next to Wong Yukhei. I loved women and men equally, but I rarely got an opportunity to behold such a display of utter beauty. I sighed when he walked past close to me and Ro proceeded to kick me in the leg; I didn’t even mind... I was in heaven. 

When the session ended, Ro started picking up her things hurriedly while I stalled to get more glimpses of Mr. Tutor. Ro accidentally dropped her pencil and, before I could pick it up, the tutor himself had swiftly retrieved it and gave it to her with a warm smile that melted me; she said a small thanks in return. She was lucky she saw him every single day. 

“So,” I said to catch his attention. He stared at Ro for more than the acceptable time. I also noticed his cheeks were slightly flushed when he smiled at her. Interesting. He turned and bowed to me politely. I shook his hand courtly. “Pleased to meet you! I was curious about who Ro’s tutor was, since I also help her with this class,” I said in fluent mandarin. “Xiao Dejun.”

“Ah, well,” he replied in mandarin with his honey voice. “I’m Dong Sicheng and I’m happy that Ro has some extra help!” 

“Gladly!” I smiled at him and turned to see a very unamused Ro. “She probably feels left out,” I commented with a laugh. Sicheng’s expression softened when he glanced at her. 

“You know,” she said with a blank expression. “I may not understand what you guys are saying, but I’ve read many books on body language. Watch out, Xiao.” 

“Ooo, scary,” I retorted with a smile and she rolled her eyes. 

“He was just greeting me,” Sicheng spoke gently. “Soon enough, you’ll be able to understand that and much more!” 

“I bet. Thanks for your help!” She smiled at him and then looked at me. “Let’s get going.” 

“Aye, aye, captain! See you, Sicheng! Take care.” I waved at him and followed my friend out, but not before noticing the tutor’s smile fade when Ro was not looking anymore. Even more interesting. 

My friend and I were walking down the hallway to find the exit of the building and head to the café, but we stopped when we saw a familiar figure walking in the opposite direction as us: it was Mack. I felt each and every fragment of my flesh freeze in the spot... she looked even more gorgeous up close. Her short straight hair danced gracefully with the wind as she wore her usual and concentrated expression. She had a green plaid shirt, some blue jeans, sneakers, and not a single drop of makeup on; completely and mesmerizingly ethereal. She slowed down when she saw Ro and stopped fully when she laid her eyes on me. 

“Hey, Mack!” Ro greeted her calmly. 

“Hey, Ro. How are you?” She replied. It was the first time that I had heard her voice and it was better than anything I could have ever imagined. It was calm, soothing, and sultry... like red silk. Her speech rate was slow and almost tantalizing. She smiled at me courtly and I returned it silently. I was at loss for words and a bit nervous for reasons that I still wouldn’t be able to comprehend. 

“I’m alright. I hope you are too!” 

“I am,” she replied with a shy smile; her eyes connected with mine for the second time, but more intensely than before. Her orbs were drilling into the most intimate parts of my consciousness. 

“Ah, yes,” Ro said with a slowly growing grin. “Mack, this is my friend Dejun.” I froze.

A bright, yet soothing smile erupted on her face when she extended her hand to greet me. I almost had to force my limbs to act before it was too late. We shook hands; hers was so warm... it felt very comforting. “Nice to meet you, Dejun.” 

Ever since that day, my heart would beat a little faster every single time this wonderful woman uttered my name.


End file.
